PGA Tour Golf 486

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Platforms:

PC

Publisher:

Electronic Arts

Developer:

Hitmen Productions

Genres:

Sport / Golf

Release Date:

1994

Game Modes:

Singleplayer

As a mainstream golf simulation, PGA 486 pretty much has it all – beautiful (1994-ish) graphics, realistic and challenging play, tournaments, season and career statistics, and first-rate sound effects, all brought together in a multimedia package.

Not only do you have computer-controlled opponents to play against in tournaments, but you get nine animated golfers to use as playing partners, including Davis Love, Fuzzy Zoeller, Brad Faxon, Jeff Sluman, and Craid Stadler. These video figures, naturally, swing like their real-life counterparts, and react differently to near-misses and great putts on the green. When you choose from the nine players, you hear an audio bit of that player giving some insight into his game or the course you’re about to play. And when you select a course, you can watch a video clip about that facility.

You’re playing not only against your partners, but in a tournament you’re up against 55 other golfers. You have to be among the 40 low scorers to make the cut and advance to the third round. Gamers familiar with the older versions of PGA Tour will be relieved to know that in this game, players tied for the lead will decide the tournament in a sudden-death playoff. This game version is actually more difficult than older PGA games. No more rounds of 58, or 10-shot margins of victory in a tournament.

Like other golf games, PGA 486 uses a swing bar of sorts. This one is a circular arc approximating the player’s swing. It’s tougher to judge, and the faster swing requires excellent timing, but it makes for a much more realistic game. The penalties for missing the sweet spot are severe — tap the space bar just a fraction late, and you might hear that dreaded splash. PGA Tour Golf 486 a difficult golf simulation compared to its competitors (such as Access Software’s Links 386 Pro), but then again Golf was never really easy to begin with. It just looks easy.